the scotch whisky experience · 3 the scotch whisky experience is a five-star visitor attraction at...

The Scotch Whisky Experience Access Guide 2019

The Scotch Whisky Experience, 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2NE

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The Scotch Whisky Experience

Access Guide 2019

This Access Guide aims to accurately describe the facilities and services that we offer all our visitors.



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The Scotch Whisky Experience, 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2NE Grid Reference: NT 25422 73516 For full information on visiting us, please see our website: www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Tel: 0131 220 0441 Email: [email protected]

http://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/

mailto:[email protected]



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The Scotch Whisky Experience is a five-star visitor attraction at the top of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, where we’ve been inspiring visitors to Edinburgh about the joys of Scotch whisky for over 25 years. Whether you take a tour, visit our shop or restaurant, or enjoy an event or tasting here, we guarantee a sensational experience. The Scotch Whisky Experience is fully

accessible for wheelchair users or those with

specific access needs.

If you require any further information about

specific access or need advice on planning

your visit, please do contact us on +44 (0)131

220 0441 or email

[email protected] .




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If there’s anything we can do to provide any

further information within this Access

Statement, please do contact us and we will

be happy to offer our assistance.



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Contents (click to jump to any section) Introduction 7 Getting here 8

• Pre-arrival 8 - Train 9 - Bus 10 - Tram 11 - Taxi 12 - Drop-off point 12 - Car parking 13

• Arrival 14 - Main entrance and ticketing area 17

The tour - Languages 20 - Barrel car ride 22 - The Sense of Scotland Room 28 - The Blender’s Sample Room 30 - The Diageo Claive Vidiz Scotch whisky

collection 31 - The McIntyre Gallery Bar 32 - Exiting the tour 33



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The Shop 34 Amber Restaurant and Bar 37 Public Toilets 42 Lift 44 Event Spaces 46

- Castlehill Room 46 - Blender’s Room 47 - Break-out space 47

Additional information 48 - Wheelchairs 48 - Assistance dogs 48 - Signage 48 - Magnifier sheet 49 - Staff training 49 - First aid 49 - Smoking 50 - Local accommodation providers 50 - Fire alarm 50

Future plans 51 Recent reviews 52 Contact Information 52



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Introduction The Scotch Whisky Experience is a five-star

visitor attraction, open every day of the year

except Christmas day, offering a range of tour

experiences, tastings, restaurant, whisky shop

and private events. We are located within the

Old Town of Edinburgh and UNESCO world

heritage site, beside Edinburgh Castle at the

top of the Royal Mile, which is a steep,

cobbled hill.

We are a member of Visit Scotland’s Quality

Assurance Scheme and are proud to be a five-

star attraction. We are also a GOLD member

of the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Our building and tours are completely

accessible to those with limited mobility. We

have 18 languages on offer on our tour by

form of a touch-screen audio mobile device.



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We also have British and American sign

language.

We have a hearing loop available at all public

till points.

Getting here

Pre-Arrival

For full details and a map of how to reach us,

please refer to our website at:

https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/p

lan-your-visit

https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/plan-your-visit

https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/plan-your-visit



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Alternatively you can plan your journey by car

or public transport using a journey planning

website such as www.travelinescotland.com

or www.theaa.com/routeplanner; simply

enter your postcode and ours, which is EH1

2NE.

Train

• The nearest railway station is Waverley

Station (0.6 miles away). There are taxi

ranks located outside of the railway

station and these are accessible by lift.

• For information about the accessibility of

the station see:

• http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/ED

B/details.html

• There are taxi ranks located outside of the

railway station on the Market Street exit,

and these are accessed by lift.

http://www.travelinescotland.com/

http://www.theaa.com/routeplanner

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/EDB/details.html

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/EDB/details.html



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• To ensure an accessible taxi, please pre-

book by calling City Cabs

(www.citycabs.co.uk) at 0131 228 1211.

• We do not offer a collection service.

Bus

• There are no buses that go directly to The

Scotch Whisky Experience, however there

are many stops in the surrounding area.

• For information about city bus ticket

options see

www.lothianbuses.com/tickets/ticket-

options

• Buses 3,5,7,8,14,30,31,37 and 49 all cross

over, and stop on North Bridge; it is a 0.4

mile walk to The Scotch Whisky

Experience.

http://www.citycabs.co.uk/

http://www.lothianbuses.com/tickets/ticket-options

http://www.lothianbuses.com/tickets/ticket-options



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• For more information about the

accessibility of city buses see

www.lothianbuses.com/about-

us/community/accessible-buses

• Edinburgh tour buses stop at the bottom

of Castlehill, which is just a short walk

from The Scotch Whisky Experience.

Tram

• Edinburgh also offers a tram service,

which stops 0.5miles from The Scotch

Whisky Experience. For information about

city tram ticket options see

https://edinburghtrams.com/tickets/ticke

t-options

• For more information about the

accessibility of city trams see

http://edinburghtrams.com/community/t

ram-access

http://www.lothianbuses.com/about-us/community/accessible-buses

http://www.lothianbuses.com/about-us/community/accessible-buses

https://edinburghtrams.com/tickets/ticket-options

https://edinburghtrams.com/tickets/ticket-options

http://edinburghtrams.com/community/tram-access

http://edinburghtrams.com/community/tram-access



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• Edinburgh Trams offer transport to and

from Edinburgh Airport

Taxi

• If you require an accessible taxi, this can

be booked in advance with City Cabs

(0131 228 1211)

Drop off point

• To access The Scotch Whisky Experience

customers can be dropped off at our front

entrance. From April to October there is

restricted vehicular access to Castlehill;

however, drop offs and pick-ups will be

allowed for disabled visitors.

• All streets that lead to the Scotch Whisky

Experience are on an incline. The streets

are cobbled, and are uneven in most

places. The pavement is flush with the

road, so there is no kerb. The route with



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the gentlest incline is along the

Lawnmarket.

Car Parking

• There is no parking onsite however there

is an NCP car park on Castle Terrace with

750 spaces, 6 of which are blue badge

disabled bays. The NCP car park is 0.4

miles from the main entrance of the

Scotch Whisky Experience. There are

intercoms located at the entrance, exit

and pay machines if assistance is required.

There is on-road parking around the site

as well, however this is paid by the hour.

• The surface from the car park to the

entrance of the Scotch Whisky Experience

is a mix of both paved and cobblestones.

Depending on the route one takes it is

either an incline, or steps.



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• The lighting in the NCP car park is new

LED lighting. Street lights light the route

to the Scotch Whisky Experience.

Arrival

To access the Scotch Whisky Experience

people can be dropped off at our front

entrance. From April to October there is

restricted vehicular access to Castlehill.

There is no intercom or call button required

to gain access to the building during opening

hours. There is a hearing loop in place for



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hard of hearing visitors once they are at any

of the till points (such as in the shop, or at the

reception).

The main entrance to the Scotch Whisky

Experience is level, and therefore a ramp is

not required.

The entrance door is an automatic sliding

door and does not require manual opening.



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• The entrance door to the Scotch Whisky

Experience is 840 mm or 33 inches wide.

• There is no alternative level access

entrance to the Scotch Whisky

Experience.

• The walkway to the reception has a small

incline.

• There is a projected image onto the

flooring at the far end (please see above

image). This is using Gesturetek



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technology which is an interactive floor

design with special effects and is an

engaging full-body interactive experience

that immerses users. If your child/or any

adult in your party would find the moving

image a problem, please turn right when

you get into the building and enter our

box office area by going through our

Whisky Shop.

• The flooring is stone.

Main Entrance, Reception, and Ticketing

Area

• The reception is on the ground floor.

• This area is level throughout.

• There is bench seating available in this

area should it be required.

• The floor is made of tile.



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• The area is well and evenly lit by ceiling

spot lights.

• There is a low counter desk area suitable

for wheelchair users.

• There is no glass divide at reception,

therefore assistance can be given to those

lip reading.

• Carers are admitted free of charge. If

carers wish to participate in the whisky

tasting element and therefore to also

receive the whisky tasting glass to take

home, the price for the Silver Tour will be



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£8 and the price for the Gold Tour will be

£8 plus the additional cost of the tasting

tray priced at £12. If carers wish to fully

participate in the Morning Masterclass

and Platinum Tours, they will be charged

at full-price.

• There is a hearing loop system at till

points.

• There is clear directional signage

throughout the attraction.

• There is also a touch-screen providing

information in 20 languages at the

reception.



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The Tour

• Door widths vary throughout the tour

with the narrowest width being 850 mm

or 33.5 inches. There are no doors that

customers will have to push open

throughout their tour. The exception to

this is the accessible toilet, however you

may notify any of our team who will assist

you with the door.

• Most of the tour is seated, and can be

tailored to be seated where it is not.

• The tour floor surfaces vary between tile,

wood and marble.

• The tour is well lit throughout, with the

exception of our dark barrel car ride and

low level lighting in The Sense of Scotland

and The Blender’s Sample Room.



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Languages available

• The tour is available in 20 languages

including British Sign Language and

American Sign Language. It is also

available in 7 further languages in

subtitles: English, Dutch, French, German,

Italian, Spanish and Swedish.



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The Barrel Ride

The silver, gold and Platinum Tours all start at

the barrel ride. (The Morning Masterclass is

taken in the Diageo Claive Vidiz Scotch

Whisky Collection and the McIntyre Gallery

Bar). The barrel ride is available in 20

languages. The barrel has speakers within it

and an induction loop.

• The barrel car ride does have an element

of flashing lights; however, this is only the

first ten minutes of the tour and

customers can opt out of this option if

need be. The barrel car ride also has a



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wheelchair option which staff will assist

the customers with.

• If using the accessible barrel, then there is

a ramp for the wheelchair to enter the

barrel by. This needs to be done

backwards. To exit the barrel, the

wheelchair is facing forward. There is also

a seat within the accessible barrel for an

accompanying customer.

• Customers exit the barrel ride in a dimly lit

area. There are two steps to go down to

depart the barrel.



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After the barrel ride, customers are given an

Iphone style handset. This comes with a

lanyard for easy use and can be placed round

the neck. The audio can be listened to like on

a phone handset, however for hard of hearing

customers, we recommend that you bring

earphones with you if you have some. We do

have a couple of sets for use if you do not

have your own. Please ask your guide. These

devices have a Hearing Aid Optimsed (HAO)

speaker within them.



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To access the next area of the tour, this is

accessed by stairs or the lift. There are two

sets of stairs to climb. The first with 16 steps,

the second with 14 steps.



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There are exhibition panels which can be read

before entering The Sense of Scotland Room

which explain the ‘life of a cask’ and how

barrels are made in the cooperage. The font

size can be seen in the image below, but our

tour guide is always available in this area to

provide the information descriped on the

panels.



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The Sense of Scotland Room

The Sense of Scotland Room has a 180°

screen which has an audio-visual

presentation. Customers are seated

throughout the presentation on the wooden

benches shown in the photographs. There is

space for two wheelchairs within this area

too. The language devices can also be used.

The tour guide giving the presentation in this

room wears a microphone.

Within The Sense of Scotland Room, visitors

are given a postcard with a map of Scotland

and the whisky producing regions are



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highlighted by a ‘scratch and sniff’ and colour

coded mechanism. On this card, infographics

and text as well as colour has been used. High

contrast colours have been used and thick

lines to enable those with a sight impairment

to be able to distinguish between the regions.

Research has gone into the colours and

pantones used so that those with a colour

impairment will hopefully be able to

understand and differentiate between the

regions.



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The Blender’s Sample Room

The Blender’s Sample Room is the next area

on tour which is accessed from The Sense of

Scotland Room via a widened doorway.

Customers are seated throughout. There is

space for two wheelchairs in this room. There

is a visual film and the tour guide also wears a

microphone. The language devices can also

be used here. The room is dimly lit as can be



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seen from the photograph. Coloured spot

lighting is used which is projected onto the

bench in front of you as part of the

presentation.

The Diageo Claive Vidiz Scotch Whisky

Collection



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The next area on the tour is accessed through

a widened doorway from The Blender’s

Sample Room. The Diageo Claive Vidiz Scotch

Whisky Collection is a room with floor to

ceiling bottles of whisky lit by led lights. This

part of the tour is not seated; however, a seat

can be requested if required. A tasting is

conducted in this area. The flooring in this

area is marble.

The McIntyre Whisky Gallery and Bar

The tour ends in the McIntyre Gallery and

Bar. This is a large, brightly lit area with

wooden flooring and seating. There are two

steps up to a viewing gallery showing views to



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the south of Edinburgh. The rest of the area is

a flat surface. There is a lowered section at

the bar.

Exiting the tour

To exit the McIntyre Gallery there is a set of

stairs down to a mezzanine level in the shop,

or the lift can be taken to the ground floor.

From the mezzanine level (here there are

liqueurs, blended and grain whisky for sale)

there are a 16 steps down to the shop and

ground floor exit.



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The Shop

The flooring within the shop is both carpet

and wood.

• There is level access to our shop which is

located on the ground floor, and does not

require steps nor a lift to access.

• There are two entrances to the shop. The

main entrance door is 1200 mm or 47.2



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inches wide while the side entrance is 840

mm or 33.1 inches wide.

• The shop covers two floors, with a small

mezzanine level only accessed by stairs.

Our staff are available should customers

require assistance regarding merchandise

from the mezzanine level. The shop has

ample room between fixtures for a

wheelchair or pushchair, and staff are

available should customers require

assistance navigating between fixtures

throughout the shop.

• There is a low counter desk area suitable

for wheelchair users.

• Merchandise is displayed well on shelves

up to a height of 1880 mm or 74 inches.

• There is low level background music

playing as well as whisky-related noises



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which come from the wonder wall audio

visual feature.

• There is a hearing loop system available at

the till points with clear signage.

• Staff are available for assistance if

required.



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Amber Restaurant and Bar

Amber Restaurant and Bar can be accessed

from the ground level by 18 stairs, or by lift.



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• The door width to access Amber

Restaurant is 860 mm or 33.9 inches wide.

• There is a slight incline into the

restaurant, which you enter by means of a

ramp.



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• There is ample room to access tables by

wheelchair or pushchair, and assistance is

available if required.

• There is a variety of seating in Amber

Restaurant. Customers can choose either

high or low tables, easy chairs, tub chairs,

bench seating or bar stools. The clear

height underneath the high tables is 835

mm or 32.3 inches. The clear height



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underneath the low tables is 730 mm or

28.7 inches.

• Amber Restaurant is well lit.

• The floor surfaces in Amber Restaurant

are a combination of Amtico and textured

vinyl.

• Amber Restaurant with advanced notice

can cater to all dietary needs. There are

vegetarian and gluten free options on the

menu for customers – these would not

need to be pre-selected – as well as

information on the 13 officially recognised

EU allergens. We also provide soya milk

for coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

• Amber Restaurant offers table service;

however, customers may order drinks at

the bar.

• An A4 magnifying sheet can be provided

for reading menus, and staff are also



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happy to read and explain menus to

customers if required.

• The crockery in Amber Restaurant is

white, while the tables are made of wood.

White table cloths are used for private

events.

The Amber Restaurant Whisky bar is adjacent

to the main restaurant and serves over 420

Scotch whiskies. There are tables and chairs

to sit at and also bar seats.



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• The nearest WCs and accessible WCs to

Amber Restaurant are located beside the

main entrance to the restaurant.

Public Toilets

• There are public WCs on both the 1st floor

and on the lower ground floor.

• There is a unisex accessible WC on the

lower ground floor.

• The accessible WC is accessed by either a

set of stairs or the lift. In total, there are

18 steps leading to the WC from the

ground floor.

• The door to the accessible WC is 800 mm

or 31.5 inches wide.

• There is clear space to the left side of the

WC for a wheelchair, and this space is 780

mm or 30.7 inches wide.



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• The height of the WC from floor to seat is

480 mm or 19 inches high.

• There are horizontal grab rails located to

the left of the WC.

• There are baby changing facilities here.

The nearest Changing Places toilets are:

- National Museum of Scotland

- The Booking Office (JD Wetherspoon) –

Edinburgh Waverley Station

http://changingplaces.uktoiletmap.org/toilet/view/1149





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Lift

• The lift provides access to most floors of

the Scotch Whisky Experience. It cannot

access the mezzanine level of the shop. It

serves the restaurant, reception, tour,

bars and event and office spaces.

• The entry door to the lift is 800 mm or

31.5 inches, and the lift is 1450 mm or 55

inches deep.

• There are both audio and visual

announcements informing visitors of the

floor they have accessed.

• The buttons in the lift do have raised

lettering; no braille is used.

• There is a mirror located on the left-hand

side of the lift.

• The lighting in the lift is LED spotlights.

• The flooring in the lift is a PVC nonslip.



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• There is no background music played in

the lift.



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Event spaces

The Castlehill Room

The Castlehill Room is a bright, airy room and

is used for dinners, whisky tastings and our

Scotch whisky training school.

The Castlehill Room is carpeted throughout.

With natural daylight and spot lighting. The

nearest accessible toilet to the Castlehill

Room is on level -1 which can be accessed

easily in the lift.



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The Blenders Room

The Blenders Room has wooden flooring.

With natural daylight and spot lighting. The

nearest accessible toilet to the Castlehill

Room is on level -1 which can be accessed

easily in the lift.

Break-out space

The break-out space next to both The

Castlehill Room and The Blenders Room has

seating and toilets for guests use.



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Additional Information

Wheelchairs and mobility scooters

Wheelchairs can be used throughout the

building. We do not have an area where a

mobility scooter could be charged. We have

one manual wheelchair which can be

borrowed.

Assistance Dogs

We welcome assistance dogs, and can provide

water bowls for them. Please ask staff for

assistance.

Signage

Signage throughout the building is created

with black text on a white background. Font

size varies, and pictograms are used where

useful.



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Magnifier sheet

We have a full-page (A4) magnifier sheet

available in our shop and bars, ideal for

magnifying small text on whisky bottles or

menus. If you wish to borrow it, please ask

our staff.

Staff training

Staff are currently participating in the

disability awareness training offered by

VisitScotland. In addition, some of our senior

members of staff have received further

accessibility training.

First Aid

There are a number of staff trained as first

aiders. There will always be a first aider on-

site.



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Smoking

Smoking is not permitted in any area of the

business.

Local Accommodation providers

Details of local accommodation and their

access statements are available at

www.visitscotland.com .

Fire alarm

There are fire action notices at each fire alarm

call point which detail what to do in case of

an evacuation. In case of an evacuation, all

customers inside the Scotch Whisky

Experience will be led to safety by a member

of the team or by a member of the fire

brigade.

http://www.visitscotland.com/



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Future Plans

The disability awareness online training by

VisitScotland will be added to an employee’s

induction programme.

Our Head of Operations is currently

completing a British sign language course and

we hope to be able to then teach our visitor

assistants in basic sign language.

Every two weeks we provide training for our

staff. We recently ran a course on how to

work with people with dementia and hope to

run another training course soon on this with

newer members of staff.



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Recent Reviews

Please have a read of some of our recent accessibility reviews here:

Euan’s Guide Silver Travel Advisor The

Rough Guide to Accessible Britain

Simply Emma

Contact Information

Address: The Scotch Whisky Experience 354 Castlehill The Royal Mile Edinburgh EH1 2NE

Telephone: 0131 220 0441 Fax: 0131 220 6288 Email: [email protected]

https://www.euansguide.com/venues/the-scotch-whisky-experience-edinburgh-4197

https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/attraction/171140-review-the-scotch-whisky-experience

http://www.accessibleguide.co.uk/daysoutblog/?p=552

http://www.accessibleguide.co.uk/daysoutblog/?p=552

http://www.simplyemma.co.uk/an-accessible-tour-of-the-scotch-whisky-experience/




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Website: www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk Grid Reference: NT 25422 73516 Hours of Operation: Standard Tour Hours - 10am to 5.30pm (Platinum Tour 5.45pm) Local Accessible Taxi: City Cabs 0131 228 1211 Local Public Transport: http://lothianbuses.com/ http://edinburghtrams.com/ http://scotrail.co.uk

http://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/

http://lothianbuses.com/

http://edinburghtrams.com/

http://scotrail.co.uk/

the scotch whisky experience · 3 the scotch whisky experience is a five-star visitor attraction at...

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